ALLENTOWN, PA — At its Thursday, November 16, 2023, Regular Board Meeting, the Allentown School District Board of Directors approved the hiring of Geoffrey Schmidt as the new principal of Louis E. Dieruff High School.
Currently, Schmidt serves as the school design lead at the Holyoke High School Opportunity Academy in Holyoke Public Schools in Massachusetts. In this position, he led the redesign for personalized pathways for all Opportunity Academy students. Additionally, he was responsible for leading all professional development strategies, along with guiding an engagement team of success coaches leading advisory, attendance, and school culture initiatives.
During his time at Opportunity Academy, the school consistently ranked in the top tier of schools in the district and maintained 100 percent teacher and staff retention for three years.
“We are incredibly excited to welcome Mr. Geoffrey Schmidt as the next leader of Dieruff High School,” said Dr. Carol D. Birks, Superintendent. “I am confident that his skills and experience will make him an excellent addition to our Learning Community. We look forward to working closely with Mr. Schmidt to achieve our shared vision of academic excellence and student success at Dieruff High School.”
Previously, Schmidt served as the founding Director of School Culture and Lead Instructional Coach at Phoenix Charter Academy in Springfield, MA, where he was the primary coach for teachers and other school leaders. He also has experience as a principal intern and a teacher. Mr. Schmidt has almost a decade of school leadership experience. He holds strong beliefs in student-centered curriculum, emphasizes a culture of engagement, and has high expectations for all members of the school community. Geoffrey is extremely excited to join our team and looks forward to establishing strong relationships across our district, specifically with this Dieruff community and this Dieruff staff. I am confident that he will make an excellent addition to our ASD learning community.
“It is truly an honor to have been chosen as the new principal of Dieruff High School,” said Schmidt. “I am eager to return to my roots in the Lehigh Valley to be with my family and look forward to collaborating with the students, families, and staff of Dieruff High School to make a positive impact on the community.”
Schmidt holds multiple degrees, including a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from the Urban Principals Academy at Lehigh University, a MFA in writing from The New School, and a Bachelor’s degree in English Language and Literature/Letters from Lehigh University.
Schmidt will officially begin as principal of Dieruff High School in January of 2024.
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